The gathering is also open to the public and the 2013-2014 season marks the 200th anniversary of coffee cultivation in Hawaii.

The conference includes workshops covering green grading, label compliance, quality control of roasting and packaging, cupping and eradication of the coffee berry borer beetle. Also on tap are legislative updates and reports from UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) and the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council (SHAC).

Other activities include an expo, silent auction, election of HCA officers, tour of Kauai Coffee Company and networking reception at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Winners of the cupping competition are announced Saturday at a dinner headlined by TV business reporter Howard Dicus.

The prestigious, annual cupping competition is an evaluation of coffee based on flavor, aroma, “mouth-feel,” acidity, sweetness and aftertaste. Last year, a panel of three lead judges, using standardized blind procedures, cupped a field of 117 Hawaiian coffees hailing from eight districts. Top honors were given to Heavenly Hawaiian Farms in Kona and the Big Isle’s Wood Valley Coffee Co. in K’au.

The Hawaii Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawaii coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. The HCA’s primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA’s work is the continuing education of members and consumers. The annual conference has continued to grow each year and has gained increased international attention. For information, visit www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.

The House passed HB353 HD1, introduced by Representative Nicole Lowen, which would appropriate funds to address the infestation of the coffee berry borer beetle, a pest that is causing widespread damage to coffee crops on the Big Island.

In recent years the coffee berry borer beetle has been ravaging coffee farms in the Kona area, with over 90% of coffee operations on Hawaii Island being affected. Help is clearly needed for an industry that is responsible for $30 million in revenue annually, and help is on the way. The bill, which will now advance to the Senate for consideration, would appropriate $300,000 in State funds to be matched by an additional $200,000 from federal or other sources. When added to current federal funds of $330,000 already granted and another $200,000 that the State DOA has committed to, it adds up to a total of just over $1 million in state and matching funds over the next four years.

Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

“Our farmers need help in dealing with the coffee berry borer beetle before it decimates the Kona coffee industry,” said the bill’s introducer, Rep. Nicole Lowen (Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kalaoa, Honokohau). “The final draft that we sent over to the Senate provides the industry with the aid it desperately needs in a manner that is fiscally responsible, and I plan to keep working hard to secure additional funds in the future.”

Media Release:

Kamehameha Schools stewards about 180,000 acres of agricultural lands as part of its statewide portfolio. On Hawai‘i Island alone, more than 72,000 acres of high-value agricultural lands help support a reliable food source, local jobs and a sustainable future for all Hawai‘i.

Prudent management of the Schools’ natural and cultural resources is essential. Kamehameha Schools Land Assets Division (LAD) forged a strategic agricultural plan to provide goal-based initiatives for optimal agricultural management. Roughly 800 Kamehameha Schools agricultural tenants are actively farming a variety of crops on Hawai‘i Island. These agricultural tenants play a vital role in providing Hawai‘i’s bountiful harvest and supporting Kamehameha Schools’ mission of creating educational opportunities to improve the capability and well-being of people of Hawaiian ancestry.

Makahiki heralds this time of year where abundance and the harvest is celebrated. With more than 70% of all Kona coffee grown on the Schools’ lands, Kamehameha Schools is honored to actively participate as a sponsor of the 40th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.

According to Les Apoliona, Kamehameha Schools North Kona land manager, “Farmers are the ambassadors of the Kona Coffee brand worldwide.” And on Wednesday and Thursday, November 10-11, the Kona coffee industry gathers at the Keauhou Beach Resort to witness the prestigious judging of Kona’s finest coffees at the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping. The public is invited to meet these Kona coffee ambassadors and to judge a bit for themselves at the Keauhou Resort Kona Coffee Label and Website Competition. Dave and Trudy Bateman, KS agricultural tenants and owners of Heavenly Hawaiian, will be on hand alongside Kamehameha Schools to share farm information and samples of their 100% Kona coffee.

On Thursday, November 11 at the Keauhou Beach Resort, join Kamehameha Schools and their featured agricultural tenant – the family-owned Kona Coffee & Tea Company, the 2009 winner of the Gevalia Cupping Contest. The Private Reserve and Malia Ohana roasts will be available for sampling and purchase.

Following the Kamehameha Schools Kona Coffee Grand Parade on Saturday morning, November 13, the Schools will join the festivities and cultural events at the Makaeo County Pavilion. KS agricultural tenants Hawaii Island Gourmet and Kona Cowboy Coffee will be featuring delicious food pairings. With three generations of paniolo, Onaka Ranch proudly makes their special Kona Cowboy Coffee available for all to taste and savor. Hawaii Island Gourmet, known to many for their signature Atebara potato chips will also be available for sampling and purchase including taro, sweet potato and shrimp chips and cookies.

Also this week, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs is convening their annual convention at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort. Kamehameha Schools will be exhibiting and sharing their land stewardship and strategic agricultural plans with convention attendees.

For more information on how to support local farmers or to view Kamehameha Schools agricultural tenants with commercial businesses, visit www.ksbe.edu/land.

The Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals, attached to the State Department of Agriculture, will meet on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 to consider one or more quarantine zones on the island of Hawaii to prohibit the importation of green coffee beans. At issue is a serious infestation of the Coffee Berry Borer in local crops reported by Kona Coffee farmers. The pest infestation was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service Systematic Entomology Laboratory.

Electronic scan of the coffee berry borer

The purpose of the meeting will be to hear testimony from the Hawaii coffee industry and, if warranted, to develop a request to the Board of Agriculture to adopt an interim rule restricting the movement of green coffee beans into the state. The meeting will be held on:

Oral testimony will be accepted at the meeting. Testifiers must provide a contact phone number if they wish to receive confirmation that their testimony has been received.

“It is imperative that interested parties provide testimony either in person or in writing as this will determine the committee’s recommendation to the Board of Agriculture by the end of the month,” said Rep. Clift Tsuji (District 3 – South Hilo, Panaewa, Puna, Keaau, Kurtistown), Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. “The coffee industry in Hawaii has a history spanning 200 years, and we don’t want to see it collapse because of our inattention to contain or eradicate the coffee berry borer infestation.”

It is unknown at this time how the coffee berry borer will affect Kona coffee yields and quality of the product. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) is considered the world’s most destructive coffee pest. Researchers estimate that the damage caused by the coffee berry borer worldwide is about $500 million per year in a global industry worth $90 billion per year.

Currently, there is no provision in Hawaii Administrative Rules that addresses the coffee berry borer or that restricts movement of coffee relative to this pest. An interim rule may be adopted in the absence of effective rules if a situation is dangerous to public health and safety or if the ecological health of flora and fauna is endangered as to constitute an emergency.

The Plant Quarantine Branch of the DOA has requested the adoption of an interim rule to prohibit the movement of coffee plants, plant parts, unroasted seeds, and used coffee bags out of a quarantine zone in the Kona area of the island of Hawaii, except by permit. The Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals may accept or amend the request and submit their findings to the Board of Agriculture which is scheduled to meet in late November. The committee may also reject or defer the request.

Violators, under the proposed rule, would be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not less than $100. The maximum fine would be set at $10,000. The interim rule would be valid for no longer than one year.

FACT SHEET – Coffee Berry Borer

Current Condition:

· The Department of Agriculture has surveyed about 65 sites statewide. Of these sites, 21 are infested with the coffee berry borer.

· All infested sites are in the Kona area of the Big Island.

· The infested zone includes the area from mile marker 29 on Hwy 190 (Mamalahoa Hwy) and mile marker 93 on Hwy 19 (Queen Kaahumanu Hwy), south to mile marker 62 on Hwy 11, east of Naalehu.

· In addition to the infested zone, the DOA has reports from about 100 individual farms that may be infested.

· The coffee berry borer lays its eggs in the coffee cherry and as the eggs develop into larva, the larva feed inside the coffee bean. The bean may be further damaged by secondary fungal, bacterial and insect infestation. The combined damage can reduce yield, lower the quality and destroy the entire bean.

Eradication/Control Strategy

· There are no chemical insecticides available in Hawaii that can effectively control coffee berry borer. As the pest lives inside the fruit, chemical control strategies are limited.

· While it is difficult to contain the coffee berry borer, even with the establishment of quarantine zones, the dissemination of the contamination can be retarded for many years through improved pest management practices. The pest spreads through human activity.

Coffee in Hawaii

· There are 6,500 acres under cultivation statewide, with annual production running between 6 and 7 million pounds.

· Kona has produced coffee continuously since the early 1800’s and supports nearly 600 independent farms. Farms average 3 acres and only a few have 50 or more acres. Total Kona coffee acreage is over 2,000 acres, producing more than 2 million pounds in most years.

· Kauai has the largest coffee orchard in Hawaii and in the United States with 3,000 acres in production.

· Maui has several small coffee farms spanning from Kaanapali, the slopes of Haleakala, and an organic farm in Hana. Maui has a total of 500 acres of coffee planted on converted sugar cane lands.

Media Release:

Greenwell Farms has named Brad Wolhman the new retail center & tours manager. Wolman’s responsibilities will be to oversee the day-to-day operations keeping its top priority of providing excellent customer service.

Brad Wolhman

“The Greenwell Farms ohana welcomes Brad and looks forward to his retail expertise in marketing and promotions. “We believe he possesses the dynamics and enthusiasm necessary to take us to a new level of business and customer service,” shared Tom Greenwell, general manager, Greenwell Farms.

Originally Brad hails from the state of Washington, where he had a career in law enforcement. Prior to that he was a retail business owner and manager.

Greenwell Farm tours share with visitors the Greenwell Farms history while demonstrating how Kona coffee is grown and produced from start to finish. Tours visit coffee trees that were planted in 1900 and in contrast walk through a coffee field planted seven years ago and now in full production. Guests will also visit the wet mill and hoshidana’s, dry mill and the roasting house. Japanese guided tours are also offered.

Greenwell Farms legacy began in 1850 when Henry Nicholas Greenwell left England and first set foot on the fertile soil of rural Kona. Henry spent the next 40 years farming, ranching and perfecting his Kona coffee, soon exporting it to Europe and the Americas.

In 1873, the President of the Kaiser’s Exposition awarded the Greenwell’s a “Recognition Diploma” for their Kona coffee at the World’s Fair in Vienna, Austria. Today, Greenwell Farms is managed by fourth generation Tom Greenwell. Greenwell Farms grows its own coffee, and operates its processing and visitor attractions on just under 100 acres of the most productive land in the Kona District. The company purchases coffee cherry from over 300 selected farmers from the Kona region.